Video: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Is a ‘Horror Nerd’

Kirk Hammett is the lead guitarist for Metallica. He is also a huge geek when it comes to classic horror movies.

“The characters in the those movies had a lot of depth,” Hammett says in the Wired video above. “I was always an outsider; I was always a little bit of an outcast and I was very nerdy. So I could relate to these monsters, these creatures, because they were the same way.”

Hammett, who calls himself a “horror nerd,” takes his love of the genre beyond just his movie library. The rocker has an extensive collection of gore film memorabilia that includes everything from movie posters and toy collectibles to life-size replicas of creep legends like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. And now, after 10 years of contemplating putting out a book detailing his most prized pieces of memorabilia, Hammett has released Too Much Horror Business: The Kirk Hammett Collection, out Monday.

“I started getting all of these really cool pieces and I thought, ‘Well I can live with this stuff by myself for so long’ — I feel like I have to share it with the rest of the collecting community,” Hammett says. “This is my gift to all of the horror nerds out there.”

Wired went deep inside Hammett’s ghoulish dungeon to see his very cool, very creepy collection. Find out what lurks below in the video above.